title: Association of white matter deficits with clinical symptoms in antipsychotic-naive first-episode schizophrenia: an optimized VBM study using 3T.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the whole brain white matter morphology in antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and its correlations with symptom severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  High-resolution T1-weighted images of 64 drug-naive FES patients and 64 matched healthy controls were acquired using a 3 T MR imaging system. Then, optimized voxel-based morphometry was performed to compare the group differences. Finally, correlation analyses were conducted between the white matter volume (WMV) changes and clinical symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The FES showed significantly decreased WMV in the bilateral posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC) and right subgyral frontal white matter. The volume of the bilateral PLIC was negatively correlated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale positive scores. Positive correlations were observed between all of the changed WMV measures and the Global Assessment of Functioning scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current findings provide further evidence to support internal capsule and subgyral frontal white matter deficits at the early stage of schizophrenia that are potentially related to the core pathophysiology of the disease. Furthermore, these anatomical alterations were related to the clinical symptoms but not the untreated illness duration, suggesting that these deficits are related to aberrations in the neurodevelopmental process and may be relatively stable during the early course of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lizhou
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Sunima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lama
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoqi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qiyong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents